NASA Sets Coverage for Agency's SpaceX Crew-9 Launch, Docking

WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station.

Liftoff is targeted for 1:17 p.m. EDT, Saturday, Sept. 28, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This is the first human spaceflight mission to launch from that pad. The targeted docking time is approximately 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29.

Live coverage of the prelaunch news conference, launch, the post-launch news conference, and docking stream on NASA+ and the agency's website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of additional platforms, including social media.

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft will carry NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov to the orbiting laboratory for an approximate five-month science mission. This is the ninth crew rotation mission and the 10th human spaceflight mission for NASA to the space station supported by Dragon since 2020 as part of the agency's Commercial Crew Program.

The deadline for media accreditation for in-person coverage of this launch has passed. The agency's media credentialing policy is available online. For questions about media accreditation, please email: [email protected].

Media looking for access to NASA live video feeds can subscribe to the agency's media resources distribution list to receive daily updates and links.

NASA's mission coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Friday, Sept. 27
11:30 a.m. – One-on-one media interviews at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida with various mission subject matter experts. Sign-up information will be emailed to media accredited to attend this launch.

1:15 p.m. – NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 Panel: Space Station 101 with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Robyn Gatens, director, NASA's International Space Station Program, and acting director, NASA's Commercial Spaceflight Division
• Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA's International Space Station Program
• John Posey, Dragon engineer, NASA's Commercial Crew Program

Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 12:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at [email protected].

Coverage of the virtual news conference will stream live on NASA+, YouTube, Facebook, and the agency's website. Members of the public may ask questions online by posting questions to the YouTube, Facebook, and X livestreams using #AskNASA.

5 p.m. – Prelaunch news conference from Kennedy with the following participants:

• NASA Associate Administrator Jim Free
• Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate
• Steve Stich, manager, NASA's Commercial Crew Program
• Dina Contella, deputy manager, NASA's International Space Station Program
• Jennifer Buchli, chief scientist, NASA's International Space Station Program
• William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build & Flight Reliability, SpaceX
• Brian Cizek, launch weather officer, 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

Coverage of the virtual news conference will stream live on NASA+ and the agency's website.

Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, media should contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 27, at [email protected].

Saturday, Sept. 28
9:10 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency's website.

1:17 p.m. – Launch

Following the conclusion of launch and ascent coverage, NASA will switch to audio only. Continuous coverage resumes on NASA+ at the start of rendezvous and docking and continues through hatch opening and the welcome ceremony. For NASA+ information, schedules, and links to streaming video, visit:

https://plus.nasa.gov/

3 p.m. – Postlaunch news conference with the following participants:

• NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy
• Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate
• Dana Hutcherson, deputy program manager, NASA's Commercial Crew Program
• Dina Contella, deputy manager, NASA's International Space Station Program
• Sarah Walker, director, Dragon Mission Management, SpaceX

The virtual news conference will stream live on NASA+, YouTube, and the agency's website.

Media may ask questions in person and via phone. Limited auditorium space will be available for in-person participation. For the dial-in number and passcode, please contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 28, at k[email protected]. 

Sunday, Sept. 29
3:30 p.m. – Arrival coverage begins on NASA+ and the agency's website.

5:30 p.m. – Targeted docking to the forward-facing port of the station's Harmony module

7:15 p.m. – Hatch opening

7:40 p.m. - Welcome ceremony

All times are estimates and could be adjusted based on real-time operations after launch. Follow the space station blog for the most up-to-date operations information.

Audio Only Coverage
Audio only of the news conferences and launch coverage will be carried on the NASA "V" circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240 or -7135. On launch day, "mission audio," countdown activities without NASA+ launch commentary, will be carried on 321-867-7135.

Launch audio also will be available on Launch Information Service and Amateur Television System's VHF radio frequency 146.940 MHz and KSC Amateur Radio Club's UHF radio frequency 444.925 MHz, FM mode, heard within Brevard County on the Space Coast.

Live Video Coverage Prior to Launch
NASA will provide a live video feed of Space Launch Complex-40 approximately six hours prior to the planned liftoff of the Crew-9 mission. Pending unlikely technical issues, the feed will be uninterrupted until the prelaunch broadcast begins on NASA+, approximately four hours prior to launch. Once the feed is live, find it online at: http://youtube.com/kscnewsroom 

NASA Website Launch Coverage
Launch day coverage of NASA's SpaceX Crew-9 mission will be available on the agency's website. Coverage will include livestreaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 9:10 a.m. Sept. 28, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff.

For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the commercial crew or Crew-9 blog.

Attend Launch Virtually
Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. NASA's virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities or changes, and a stamp for the NASA virtual guest passport following a successful launch.

Watch, Engage on Social Media
Let people know you're following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtags #Crew9 and #NASASocial. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASASocial, @Space_Station, @ISS_Research, @ISS National Lab, @SpaceX, @Commercial_Crew

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, ISS, ISS National Lab

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @ISS, @ISSNationalLab, @SpaceX

Coverage en Espanol
Did you know NASA has a Spanish section called NASA en Espanol? Make sure to check out NASA en Espanol on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for more coverage on Crew-9.

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo: 321-501-8425; [email protected]; o Messod Bendayan: 256-930-1371; [email protected].

NASA's Commercial Crew Program has delivered on its goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station from the United States through a partnership with American private industry. This partnership is changing the arc of human spaceflight history by opening access to low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station to more people, more science, and more commercial opportunities. The space station remains the springboard to NASA's next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.

For NASA's launch blog and more information about the mission, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

SOURCE NASA